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US 8,784,727 B2Granted
Molten metal furnace
OwnerJorge A Morandoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved molten metal furnace including an enlarged buffer plate of nickel-based superalloy material which seals and separates the furnace burners from the product to be heated. The seal from the buffer plate provides for the creation of a generally inert atmosphere for the bath of molten metal. Additionally, angling the interconnecting passageways between the furnace regions improve the thermal efficiency of the circulating molten metal.
Claims10
An improved molten metal furnace comprising:
- a molten metal reservoir adapted to retain a bath of molten metal;
- at least one heater proximate to said reservoir, wherein said at least one heater is surrounded by an atmosphere comprising air and heater exhaust gases;
- and
- a buffer plate disposed between said bath of molten metal and said at least one heater, wherein said buffer plate seals and separates said molten metal bath from said heater atmosphere;
- wherein said at least one heater generates sufficient heat to melt a metal which makes up said molten metal bath, said heat passing through said buffer plate to said molten metal bath;
- and
- wherein said buffer plate is a superalloy having an emissivity of approximately 0.96-0.98.
4 more elements
An improved molten metal furnace comprising:
- a molten metal reservoir adapted to retain a bath of molten metal, said reservoir including a walls which cooperatively define a hearth, a pump well, and a charge well and a separate passageway interconnects each of said hearth, pump well and charge well;
- at least one heater proximate to said reservoir, wherein said at least one heater is surrounded by an atmosphere comprising air and heater exhaust gases;
- and
- a superalloy buffer plate having an emissivity of approximately 0.960.98 which is disposed between said bath of molten metal and said at least one heater, wherein said buffer plate seals and separates said molten metal bath from said heater atmosphere;
- wherein said at least one heater generates sufficient heat to melt a metal which makes up said molten metal bath, said heat passing through said buffer plate to said molten metal bath;
- wherein the passageway interconnecting the hearth to the pump well is angled downwardly from a region adjacent to a metal line of said molten metal bath toward a floor of said reservoir;
- wherein the passageway interconnecting the charge well to the hearth is angled upwardly from a region proximate to a floor of said charge well into said hearth.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.